Excellent find, htownkraut. I always wonder how y'all find these stories. I barely have time to glance at BS every couple of days, so this is one of my few sources of soccer info...

Fascinating story, unusually well written. I even got curious about the writer, Zac Lee Rigg. Coincidentally, he happens to live very close to me in Penang (the land of hokkiem mee, char quay teow, assam laksa and so many other delicious dishes). http://my.linkedin.com/pub/zac-lee-rigg/10/91b/522

The image below is for the new Corinthians stadium that's currently under construction in São Paulo. I tried to get the live webcam, but can't get it to work. Anyway, the team's selling a deal where fans can put on the safety vest and hard hat and spend a day actually "helping" with the construction of the stadium. They haven't yet set the price, but fans will apparently be assigned to less dangerous areas of the construction site where they can perform some safe tasks. It'll be an interesting experience for some fans, although I'm not sure how the construction workers feel about having "help" from some random fan.

btw, like happens in most of the world. the pitch invaders are boo'd and the cops are cheered when they charge. some misinformed individuals like to preach that the opposite is true to some impressionable yuts.

The official MLS site has a piece on MLS fans outside the US and Canada (click here). It points out that after the US and Canada, the next largest countries for traffic at the MLS site are the UK and Brazil. I suspect the numbers aren't all that high, but still somewhat interesting. Language and the presense of Beckham, and some other former EPL players, probably help explain the UK interest. I was a little surprised at the interest from Brazil, although I guess someone had to come next. ESPN Brasil carries MLS, but it's not like most of the Brazilians in the league are big names.

I would have thought Mexico may have been up there. I remember heading over there a couple of years back and seeing MLS jerseys and watching our Dynamo play against the Chicago Fire on TV. They were elevating the Dynamo to an insane level.

I would've expected Mexico as number 3 or 4, too. Certainly, much bigger name Mexican players have played in MLS than Brazilians. Perhaps the order changes a bit from season to season, depending on which big DPs sign.

In the long term, I tend to expect that MLS will indeed become a fairly popular league around the world. I think that's because it has some of the elements that have made English leagues very popular - fast, attacking play, and, increasingly, attractive atmospheres in stadiums with the supporters very close to the action. The EPL and now even the Championship are becoming popular, for example, in Brazil because it's just a really good television product, largely as the result of the stadium atmospheres. And it's not just the big-name EPL clubs. Even games among the smaller clubs are becoming more popular. Everyone seems to love the chanting, singing crowds close to the fields, combined with fast-paced, attacking play.

MLS is still a long way from having the talent level needed to make that pace of play as watchable as it is in the EPL and Championship. But I think we're getting closer, and we only have to be close enough. Having some big-name DPs will help make the league more attractive as an international TV producs. And having a good smattering of Latin American talent (inlcuding Brazilians ) should also help in some markets. We're not there yet, but I think this objective is where the MLS leadership wants to go.

I would have thought Mexico may have been up there. I remember heading over there a couple of years back and seeing MLS jerseys and watching our Dynamo play against the Chicago Fire on TV. They were elevating the Dynamo to an insane level.

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We're you in Monterrey? Cause the Dynamo are kinda big up there, don't know about the rest of Mexico. I know that this year every Dynamo game was being shown on tv in Monterrey.

Nope, I was in Pachuca for a Pachuca game. Since you brought up Monterrey; it seems like they may be popular in places where they have competed well against their local teams. I can see how a Rayado or Tuzo may be like, "they beat us and played well; maybe this team is worth my time."